Anderzander Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 I’m looking at the oily dirty engine and box under my 90 and wondering if there are easier ways to clean it. Have ‘hobby’ steam cleaners come on at all? I’ve seen the big (expensive) steam cleaners do a great job at cleaning things like this - but the hobby home type ones I’ve seen are pretty poor - is there a middle product that I’m missing ? Or is it just a case of APC/gunk and a jet wash? Or hours on your back with a solvent and wire brush ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 Brake cleaner, by the crate. Then an air line. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 The heated jetwashes make a lovely job of cleaning stuff up, but I've not seen anything that isn't an industrial one. Brake cleaner is my usual go to, unless its really bad then a scrub with some diesel first is usually beneficial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 How about running household hot water through a cheapo jet washer? Find a local HGV/Agri yard with a steam cleaner and outside ramp ? I've just bought a warranted -6 months- industrial steam cleaner as brake cleaner and scrubbing big bits is time consuming . My 3rd in 40 years of mucky land rovers Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaklander Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 Where's the run-off going at home? That's what is usually on my mind. There's a garage in Buxton with a long twin ramp outside that forms a pit. You buy time (very informal) on a big jet-wash and can blast away. It's mainly used for trucks but cars can just span across, with a second pair of eyes! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkie Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 Pay someone with a steam cleaner to do it. Then you have no worries about getting yourself in a mess or where the oily mess is draining/soaking away to. Alternatively, place old cardboard under your land rover and use a solvent in a spray gun to get the worst off and let the cardboard soak it up. Then use a strong detergent such as gunk or a quality snow foam, let it dwell and then wash it off with a pressure washer. I did this and it works well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escape Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 When we were setting up the Workshop again, I bought an old industrial steam cleaner at about a 10th of the price. New ones are ludicrously expensive if you don't use them every week or so. I did struggle with the heater cutting out and little or no information or support as the brand no longer exists. In the end I got a friend who does residential HVAC to have a look. He replaced the fuel pump and after some fiddling it's now running better than ever. And if it's working, it's a joy to use! On a car in use, pretty much all the oil and muck will come off easily, just one or two passes. Only if it's really caked on, from sitting a long time or such, will I need to use brushes and elbow grease to get a good result. I really don't use it enough, I should make it a point of cleaning as much as possible before starting a big job. Not only will it make work a lot easier/ less messy, it will also lead to better results and certainly look better. I failed to steam clean the engine and gearbox of my Elan, as I was to anxious to get the spanners out. Now that it's mostly back together, I either have a lot of manual cleaning to do or risk getting water into the newly rebuilt parts... If it's just the one time, I agree with the comments above, find someone who can do it for you or who will let you use their cleaner. Those with tractors and earth moving equipment will have a good steam cleaner and usually don't mind making a few extra quid from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 Some pressure washers allow hot / boiling water through them. The old mistral pressure washer we have will. It'll be down to the pump - the Mistral ones use CAT Pumps (British made I think) and as long as they have oil they just keep on going. I re-engined Mum and Dad's old one and that's 34 years old and still going strong. Best bit of salesmanship they'd ever seen, go into Riverlea Tractors to buy a pressure washer and came away with a pressure washer and a tractor. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 I bought mine second hand off pressure washers northern for about £550 about 4 years ago, its had the odd bit of maintenance maybe £200 worth, but it does a reasonable amount of work. Try a few repair places as they will often come across people upgrading etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted October 15, 2022 Author Share Posted October 15, 2022 Great input from everyone There was a truck place local to me - but they don't really want anything other than wagons these days. Brake cleaner is my go to - but I go through tons of it and I miss something as easy and thorough as the steam cleaner. I did see this: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-harry-2-hot-wash-145bar-high-pressure-w/ Looks pretty compact and the reviews are decent.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 That looks pretty good for what you want. 80c is going to be effective for greasy dirt. Compact too for home storage. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaklander Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 6 hours ago, Anderzander said: I did see this: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-harry-2-hot-wash-145bar-high-pressure-w/ Looks pretty compact and the reviews are decent.. It's a bit pricey...😱 maybe it's a 'forever' purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 Cheap compared to any of the industrial type ones.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escape Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 8 hours ago, Anderzander said: Great input from everyone There was a truck place local to me - but they don't really want anything other than wagons these days. Brake cleaner is my go to - but I go through tons of it and I miss something as easy and thorough as the steam cleaner. I did see this: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-harry-2-hot-wash-145bar-high-pressure-w/ Looks pretty compact and the reviews are decent.. That looks like pretty good value for occasional use. I would have considered something like that if it had been available when I got my big second hand one. I do wonder how efficient the heating can be. On mine the water heating chamber is about 80cm long so a very large surface for heat transfer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 2 hours ago, Peaklander said: It's a bit pricey...😱 maybe it's a 'forever' purchase. That’s peanuts in the grand scheme of things . Mates diesel heated jet wash on the farm was around £4.5k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Just to say - you can buy brake cleaner in 20L drums from most auto factors, plus a good quality Wurth pump-up spray bottle (nothing else lasts) and you're away. As others have said, farms & truck places have good cleaning facilities, near me there's a truck chassis wash place as the MOT inspectors will happily fail them for turning up with a dirty undercarriage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkie Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 The cheapest way I have found to use a solvent cleaner rather than aerosol cans is either: (1) If you have a cheap spray gun and compressor use it to spray gun wash thinner as the solvent to de-grease the parts. (2) If you don't have a spray gun and compressor, get a pump up spray bottle (as Fridge says above) to spray the solvent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 My machine is similar to this one eBay . I would think even that one at that age will outlast the machine mart one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 15 hours ago, landroversforever said: That’s peanuts in the grand scheme of things . Mates diesel heated jet wash on the farm was around £4.5k Mine was a bargain at £200 secondhand. Diesel burner with a big furnace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 I used to use the big one at work when I worked in the Agricultural and Plant Industry. When I left, I missed it so much, I bought a new hot water one made by Gerni. I think they have something to do with Nilfisk. It cost about £1100, but that was 22 years ago. Its still going strong, and has never broken down. I do NOT lend it, or let anyone else use it, because everyone wants to borrow it, but no wants wants to pay for it when it goes wrong. I dont use it that often, and suppose you might regard it as a luxury, but once you have one, messing about with a cold washer is a waste of time on comparison. It another of things like a welding machine, I dont know how anyone can get through the day without one. I normally spray on a biodegradable degreaser and let it soak for a bit before washing Brake cleaner is OK but very messy and polluting, causing rapid global warming and killing Polar Bears. So I only use this for small stuff or for stuff that needs painting. Dont forget that whatever method you use, there will be some sort of pollution. I feel you might be disappointed with the Machine Mart one. It might produce 145 bar, but at a very low flow rate, because to get the water up to 80 deg AND have a decent flow rate, the burner has to be quite big. Got to be better than a cold one, but a lot of money for something that is unsatisfactory. I would want a demo first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 On 10/14/2022 at 12:31 PM, steve b said: How about running household hot water through a cheapo jet washer? This is something I always planned to do. When I re-fitted our utility room I added a hot water take off point for this exact purpose. Somehow I've yet to try it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 13 hours ago, smallfry said: I feel you might be disappointed with the Machine Mart one. It might produce 145 bar, but at a very low flow rate, because to get the water up to 80 deg AND have a decent flow rate, the burner has to be quite big. Got to be better than a cold one, but a lot of money for something that is unsatisfactory. I would want a demo first. This is the crux of it perhaps.. 🤔 The big ones undoubtedly are better but the size of them poses a problem for me - even if I find one at a bargain second hand price (that isn’t being sold because it’s knackered) - I don’t have the space to store it. There are others selling what looks to be the same type as the machine mart one : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295039754202?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=QQOKl3JVSkm&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=8IVqfH45Rgq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY Flow rate for that says 450l/h. This one is a step up - but not miles away in performance - though I can’t find anywhere selling one: https://www.nilfisk.com/en-gb/products/pressure-washers/mobile-pressure-washers/mobile-hot-water-pressure-washers/compact/mh-1c-110600-230150-uk/p_107145001/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Just hire a hot water pressure washer. Douse everything in Jizer. The hot wash, allow to dry, then repeat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 If space is the issue, then maybe a hot water outlet plumbed into something like the machine mart one or a normal pressure washer might suffice. If it's a steam/hot type one then it's going to be working less hard if its taking in hot water to begin with rather than heating from cold tap temps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 The ones near me are £160 for the first day - and plus VAT. If I do that 3 times I’ve bought the small one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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